Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System Celebrates Maternal Healthcare Excellence with Birth Ready Designations, Extending Reach to Rural Communities
May 10, 2024
Baton Rouge, LA — Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System proudly announces that Our Lady of the Angels Hospital has received reaccreditation with the Birth Ready+ designation and St. Francis Medical Center has been accredited with the prestigious Birth Ready designation by the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC). Both facilities serve as vital rural health access points, ensuring that their community can access recognized quality maternity care close to home.
To achieve these designations, both hospitals met stringent criteria across five dimensions: collaborative learning, health disparity and patient partnership, policies and procedures, structures and education, and outcome and process measures. Hospitals earning Birth Ready+ Designation meet a higher threshold of compliance and achievement.
Our Lady of the Angels Hospital has once again been recognized with the Birth Ready+ designation, highlighting its sustained excellence in maternal care. This reaccreditation underscores the hospital's ability to consistently provide high-quality maternity care services tailored to each family's unique needs.
“Our Lady of the Angels Hospital's Birth Ready+ reaccreditation is a testament to our relentless dedication to serving the families of Washington Parish with excellence in maternity care,” said Chuck Spicer, Our Lady of the Angels Health president.
St. Francis Medical Center's Birth Ready designation reinforces its commitment to innovation and excellence in maternal healthcare. As Northeast Louisiana's sole provider of Level III OB, OB-ED and Level III NICU facilities, it offers comprehensive care ensuring optimal outcomes from pregnancy to postpartum.
“We are proud to receive the Birth Ready designation, which reflects our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional maternity care services to our community,” said Thomas Gullatt, MD, president of St. Francis Health. "This achievement embodies our dedication to delivering compassionate and comprehensive care for mothers and babies, ensuring they receive the highest quality support during their birthing journey."
These designations further cement Our Lady of the Angels Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center as leaders in maternal healthcare excellence within the state, reflecting Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System's unwavering dedication to providing compassionate and comprehensive maternity care services to the communities they serve.
“Our Lady of the Angels Hospital's reaccreditation with the Birth Ready+ designation and St. Francis Medical Center's attainment of the Birth Ready designation are significant milestones that underscore our commitment to providing the highest quality of care for mothers and babies,” said E.J. Kuiper, president and chief executive officer at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.
For more information about maternity care services at St. Francis Medical Center and Our Lady of the Angels Hospital, please visit fmolhs.org.
About the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is one of the largest healthcare systems based in Louisiana and is the leading healthcare provider for more than half the state’s population. The health system is a non-profit, Catholic organization sponsored by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the ministry serves patients in Louisiana and Mississippi through a network of hospitals, clinics, physicians and integrated health systems. The health system’s unified physician organization is comprised of more than 1,100 adult and pediatric primary care physicians and specialists. The system’s nine main campus hospitals include St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and Gonzales, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Heart Hospital, and Women's & Children's Hospital in Lafayette, Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, and St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. For more information, visit fmolhs.org.